


Machines: A Bluefrost Timestamp

by TheIttyBitty



Series: Beyond the Bluefrosts [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 20:42:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10726845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIttyBitty/pseuds/TheIttyBitty
Summary: Dean is determined to get the abandoned automobiles working, to the point that it starts to worry Castiel.





	Machines: A Bluefrost Timestamp

Dean discovers the automobile barn completely by accident. He remembers vaguely being told about it when he first arrived in the city, but forgot soon afterward with everything else going on.

But here he is now, standing in the doorway of a large barn-like structure made of white stone, looking at rows of silver automobiles.

He stares in at them, at their sleek edges and insides full of shadow, breath clouding in the air in front of his face. He steps inside, and starts in surprise when a light comes on near the door. He takes another step, and another light shines out in the darkness. He looks at the walls and finds strange, tin-framed lamps, not at all like the aether lights in the castle.

Further in he goes, compelled by some strange force that he can't quite explain. The whole place is dusty, but not decrepit. Dean sees a few mice scurrying away from the harsh light, but the automobiles look like they may still run. He goes to the closest and sits in the soft leather bench, flips the ignition switch to see if it will turn on, but nothing happens. There's silence in the barn, and very suddenly Dean finds that he can't stand it. He goes to the next automobile and the next, most of them don't start at all, but a few start only to die moments later. He huffs frustratedly and kicks at the dirt floor, watching it scuff under the sole of his shoe.

There's something here, he can feel it, like a ghost hovering in the dark space close to the ceiling. It's as if there's a presence here, although Dean knows that there isn't. It's only automobiles, but... they're calling to him. They remind him so much of home and they're sitting just there, unused, growing old in a barn. It makes him so terribly sad.

He leaves, closing the door behind him, determined to leave it be. He only gets as far as the front entrance to the castle before he realizes that denying his interest is a useless endeavor.

“Damn it.” He mutters to himself, waving aside the concerned looks of the door guards.

He turns and walks back into the courtyard, but this time he heads out into the city. He wonders if the library has any books on automobiles.

In fact, the library has entire section on automobiles and automatons, despite the fact that don't work at all well in the cold. Dean takes as many as he can carry to a secluded alcove, begs some paper and a pencil from a librarian, and sets himself to task.

 

The first thing to do is fix the tires. They're entirely unsuitable for the snow, which Dean can see right away. He wonders why no one bothered to fix it. It's easy enough to do, but it's really the least of his problems. The machines still won't _start_ , which is really the main issue. He reads and he reads, he works and works. He stays up late in the barn every night for a week and he accomplishes nothing. He gets nowhere. He finds himself obsessed, thinking of nothing else. If asked why he's suddenly so single minded, he won't be able to answer. He's not really sure. He only knows that he must fix them, it's the only thing to do. He gets to bed late, in his own room, his own bed, too tired to be intimate with his husband. Too focused to even think of it.

He doesn't notice the concerned glances he gets from Jo, Castiel's increasing distress. 

He  _must_ get them working.

 

It's late, Dean knows. He's not sure how late and he doesn't really care. It's cold, so cold that he's long since lost feeling in his fingers. It doesn't much matter, because he's not making any progress anyway. He has the hood of one of the automobiles open, tools splayed out over the floor. He's looking down into the inner workings of the thing, feeling defeated. All of the tubes and wires are frosted over, and maybe that's the problem or maybe it's something else. Maybe it's a lot of things. It's impossible to tell. He's cold and overwhelmed and he doesn't even know  _why._

Dean doesn't hear footsteps, but he does see a shadow pass nearby.

His heart speeds up, panic pierces through him, but when he turns he finds only his husband.

“Cas,” Dean sighs, putting a hand to his chest, “You startled me.”

Castiel moves slowly, hesitantly, through the barn, over his tools. When he's close enough, Dean can see that he looks upset.

“What's wrong?”

“Darling,” Castiel reaches out and brushes his thumb along Dean's cheek, “You're freezing. It's late. Why don't you come to bed?”

“I... I have to finish.”

Castiel looks pained. “What are you trying to do?”

“Get them running.”

“They don't. They don't work in the cold.”

“But I- I thought perhaps I could figure out-” He breaks off, because, really, what was he exppecting? That he'd figure something out that everyone else had missed? That he'd fix everything and suddenly the roads would be full of automobiles, like home? Like home.

“Come to bed?” Castiel asks again, “Please? Get some sleep. Tomorrow- tomorrow we'll work on it together.”

This gives Dean pause. For some reason, this endeavor has felt very personal. He's been doing it alone and he assumed he'd keep doing it alone. Having Castiel by his side, though, is something he wants. Castiel makes him calm, he quiets Dean's nerves. He's not telling Dean to stop, now, he's just asking Dean to take a break.

“Alright.” He says finally.

Castiel sighs and pulls him close, kissing him on the temple, then the nose. “Your nose is frozen.” He points out.

“It's cold out here.”

“I'm aware. Come on, then. Come to bed.”

He leads Dean by the hand back to the castle, although they both take a moment to gaze up at the stars before heading back inside. It's a relief as the warmth begins to seep back into Dean's limbs, but he doesn't want Castiel to know just how cold he was.

Unfortunately, Dean's husband is very observant. They get back to Castiel's room and Castiel has him strip down to nothing, get into the bed and under the blankets. Then Castiel gets in too, curling into Dean and wrapping his wings around them both. Slowly, Dean begins to thaw.

 

With Castiel helping him, working on the automobiles is twice as enjoyable. They still don't figure much out, but Dean doesn't feel so alone. In fact, the urgency that he felt before begins to fade, until it's nothing more than a slightly embarrassing memory. Eventually, Dean begins to realize that it really is a hopeless endeavor. These machines just weren’t made for the cold and they can't stand up against it. It pains him less than he thought it would.

Then, one day, he deems it too cold to go out. Once he skips one day, it begins to matter less and less, until he doesn't really feel the need to go out at all.

 

“I got you something.” Castiel says one day, just as they're finishing up their work.

“You did?” Dean is surprised, “What's the occasion?”

“I'm in love with you.”

It hits Dean like a wall, the way Castiel just says it. The way he _means_ it, if the look on his face is any measure. He's in love with Dean. Who would ever have thought?

“That's- that's an occasion that requires gifts?” Dean says finally, fighting to keep his voice even and his gaze steady.

“Less of an occasion than an explanation.” Castiel tells him, “I was overcome by my love for you, and felt I should get you something to show it.”

“You needn't have spent money on me.”

“But I did.” Castiel says seriously, “Would you like to see it?”

“Okay.” Dean agrees.

His surprise is a horse. In the stables, Dean stands looking up at her. She's black as pitch, with long, shaggy hair and a stocky build.

“Her name is Impa.” Castiel tells him, stroking her nose.

Dean reaches out and she nuzzles into his hand.

“I...” Castiel starts again, “I know you were upset that the automobiles didn't work. I don't know why, exactly, it meant so much to you, but I thought it might help to have an alternative mode of transportation. Of your own, I mean. She's yours, and you can do what you like with her. I suppose I don't even know if you like horses, perhaps I shouldn't have assumed-”

“She's beautiful.” Dean interrupts Castiel's rambling, “Can we go riding?”

Dean hasn't been riding in a long time, not since before he turned eighteen. In his younger years, he and Jo used to go all the time, on huge long-limbed horses, over the flat land.

Riding is different here, they have to be more careful, can't go quite as fast. There's too much snow, to many rocks and cliffs to really give the horses their head, to really go fast. It does help though, the familiarity of riding, the speed. It reminds him of home, and he realizes very suddenly that this is what he was craving the whole time. He just wants something that feels like home.

They ride together through the roads in the surrounding mountain until they're both frozen and exhausted.

 

Dean nuzzles into Castiel's chest, reveling in the warmth of his husband's wings over him. He's naked, tired, sated. He has come on his stomach and on the back of his thighs, but his eyes are slipping closed and he'll deal with the mess in a moment. Really, he will.

“Mmm,” He says to Castiel's chest, “love you.”

“What?” Says Castiel, stilling.

Half asleep already, Dean tips his head up for a kiss, smiling happily when he gets what he wants. He sighs, “Love you.”

Castiel runs a hand down Dean's side as the other man falls quickly asleep. He presses a kiss to his temple, to his eyelid, to his nose. He pulls him closer still and tucks Dean's head under his chin before falling easily into sleep himself.

 

**Author's Note:**

> is there anything specific you guys want out of these timestamps? any certain situations?


End file.
